LETTER: Sheriffs have the power to stop gun-control tyranny

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Dear Editor:

There are 62 counties in New York. Each has an elected sheriff. The sheriff is the highest law enforcement officer in the county. He does not work for the state. He does not work for President Obama. A sheriff's lawful authority in his county supersedes that of any state or federal law enforcement.

County sheriffs have the ability to be an effective Constitutional line of defense against tyranny. They can prevent citizens in their county from being victimized by higher levels of government. They can tell those authorities to back off. There is legal precedent

Gov. Cuomo's new gun legislation is the most alarming threat to Constitutional freedom that I have ever experienced. It amounts to harassment and unmitigated tyranny against every law-abiding gun owner in New York. The sheriffs can stop this unjust law in its tracks by refusing to participate with the state in its schemes to defraud responsible citizens of their Second Amendment rights. More than 50 county sheriffs throughout the country have already committed to doing this.

I encourage all concerned New Yorkers to contact their county sheriff and voice support for him to oppose gun-control tyranny from Albany or Washington.

Yes, this is a serious measure to take. But the legislative oppression that law-abiding gun owners are facing demands a serious response.